A Halloween To Remember
by i-love-svu
Summary: Grissom and Lady Heather take her granddaughter trick or treating. GilLadyHeather, complete.


**Disclaimer: I don't own them.**

**Author's Note: Another one of my Grissom/Heather Halloween fics. I am aware that they are light-hearted and maybe slightly out of character. I wanted it that way. Despite the things I've stated, I hope you enjoy it anyway!

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All Hallow's Eve had arisen once again, and Las Vegas was buzzing with excitement. Despite the fact that the city of sin was a gambling town, the casinos were pretty empty. All the gamblers, rich and poor, must have left to go home to their families for the spooky holiday. Well, that's was Gil Grissom was going with.

He strode into the Golden Nugget looking more tired than usual. Of course he had to work the one night all the freaks came out. And living in Las Vegas, that was saying something.

"What do we have, Catherine?" He asked wearily. Gil placed his kit on the ground next to the dead body and opened it; his almost clear gloves slid on without any problems. He had been a CSI for almost thirty years and his hands were used to being nearly strangled by the gloves by now.

"Twenty year old male, gunshot to the back." The strawberry blond replied instantly. She knew when Gil just wanted to get his job done and judging by the look on his face, this was one of those times. "I've been waiting for David to get here for almost an hour. This is ridiculous!"

A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, and Catherine saw this.

"Hey, you okay?" She inquired as she processed what she could of the victim without destroying any evidence that might be on his clothes. "You seem weirder than usual."

Gil looked up at her, the brief hints of a smile vanishing. "I am not weird," He protested.

Catherine nodded quickly as if to cover up her statement. "No, no, of course not! I didn't say that!"

The Entomologist shook his head as his colleague's sense of humor. Sometimes he was positive that he worked with completely insane people. With a sigh, Gil joined Catherine in processing the victim.

The victim had a bullet hole directly in the middle of his back, with blood spatter all around him. He didn't know why, but Gil thought that something just wasn't right. The blood drops were far too uniform; all the same size. His curious nature overtook all of his thoughts and Gil found himself sticking one finger into the ribs of the victim.

"Hey! Watch it!" Suddenly, the 'victim' was very alive. And it wasn't an unidentified person; it was Greg Sanders. "I'm ticklish, Griss! Don't poke me!"

Gil angrily pulled his gloves off and threw them onto the floor. He didn't even bother to close his kit, or even take it with him. He strode toward the door of the casino, taking giant steps to get away from the very immature two people. They laughed hysterically, proud of the fact that they had managed to fool Gil.

"Happy Halloween, Gil!" Catherine called after him. She wiped the tears of laughter from her cheeks as Gil continued ignored them.

All he wanted to do was go home and sleep. Thirty-six hours without sleep was not something Gil was entirely used to. 'Food and sleep,' He thought. 'Sounds good.'

At that moment, his cell phone vibrated on the seat next to him. The caller id screen read "Unknown", but he decided to answer it anyway. It was probably just a wrong number.

"Grissom," He answered the phone with a sigh.

"Gil, it's Heather. Are you busy right now?"

The aged man nearly swerved off the road upon hearing the slightly panicked voice of Lady Heather Kessler. Quickly recovering from the shock, Gil regained his bearings as he became worried. "Heather. What's wrong? Are you okay? Is the baby okay?"

They both were surprised that he mentioned the baby. The infant in question happened to be Zoe's daughter; Heather's grandchild. The child she had fought for nearly three months to gain custody of, and after spending a vast amount of money, had finally been awarded custody of her deceased daughter's baby. And it always slipped Gil's mind that the baby, Emma, was no longer technically an infant. She was three years and two months old. He remembered because Heather found it amusing that her granddaughter would be that age on Halloween.

"Emma is fine," Heather responded. Her voice gave away that she was in a hurry.

"What's going on, Heather?" Gil asked. He passed his townhouse and went further down the road. Somehow he just knew that Heather needed something; there was no point in going to his house if she needed him at the ex-dominion. Yes, ex-dominion. After finding Emma, Heather closed her house down to raise her granddaughter. Heather's voice jolted Gil from his short-lived trip down memory lane.

"I just… I'm taking Emma trick or treating. And, call me crazy, but I do not want to go out there alone."

A year had passed since Zoe's death and the tragedy still hit the brunette hard. Surprisingly, Gil understood her apprehension to be alone at night; he felt another smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"I was hoping, if you're not preoccupied, you would possibly be able to accompany me on this little venture?" Heather elaborated further.

Gil didn't even have to think about it. "I'd love to. See you about half an hour?"

"Sure. Sounds perfect," Heather smiled into the phone. "See you then."

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Half an hour arrived faster than expected, and Gil found himself walking up the driveway to Heather's house. After receiving the call from Heather, Gil went to the nearest store and bought himself a costume. One couldn't be expected to take a toddler trick or treating without a costume, could they? He knocked on the door and smiled as it was almost immediately pulled open.

"Gil! I'm so glad you're here!" Heather paused as she noticed his outfit. "What…?"

"A vampire," Gil happily answered her unspoken question. "It was either this or a French maid."

Heather laughed. "Please, come in. I just have to go get Emma from the living room." The brunette strode away and Gil realized he hadn't noticed her costume. He made a mental note to see what or who she was when she came back.

"Gil?" A soft voice squeaked. He immediately recognized the voice as Emma's, and it brought a smile to his face. He had been around both of the women a lot ever since they had found the toddler. It wasn't odd that he knew Emma's voice, and it was so very cute to hear the child speak.

"Yes, Emma, it's Gil." Heather gently bounced her granddaughter as they approached Gil, as if she knew exactly how the toddler would react to seeing Gil's costume.

Emma saw Gil's painted white face, the small streak of blood down the side of his mouth and his white cape, and her reaction was in the form of a blood-curdling scream. She buried her face in Heather's shoulder; she was sobbing so hard that she nearly fell out of Heather's grasp.

"Em, honey, it's okay. Look," Heather shifted Emma to show her that it wasn't a monster standing before them. "It's Gil. See?"

"Hi, Emma," Gil smiled. "Nothing scary here, see? Just an old man in a costume."

The toddler studied him for a moment. Her eyes followed his, studying him; his eyes seemed to be his identifying mark and the toddler knew this. She was smart for a three year old. A moment later she seemed satisfied that it really was Gil, and clapped her hands happily.

"I told you he wasn't scary." Heather gave Emma kiss on the cheek, making the toddler laugh. "Can Gil hold you while I put my shoes on?"

Emma outstretched her arms toward Vampire Gil, who gladly accepted her. Heather ran up the stairs to find her shoes, and Gil decided to try and get the toddler to talk.

"My, Emma, what a lovely costume!" Gil tickled her belly. "Just what are you?"

"A fairy." Emma pointed to the wings on the back of her costume with a grin. She was also wearing a blue leotard with blue tights. But the wings seemed to be her favorite part of the outfit. "Pretty?"

Gil nodded. "Very pretty indeed."

The toddler in his arms gasped, her eyes staring at a something standing at the top of the stairs. Gil turned around to see what was so fascinating and he nearly gasped too. Heather finished putting on her left shoe and stood upright, revealing her costume. A green dress that hugged her every curve from her breast bone down to her waist, then flared out a bit. The bodice of the dress shimmered in green glitter-like things. Heather twirled once, the skirt of the dress floating out around her. She giggled quietly as she descending down the stairs.

"Heather… you look amazing," Gil commented. His eyes followed her every move; from the sway of her hips to the slight swinging of her arm.

"Thank you." The brunette smiled at him as she accepted Emma back into her arms. "Em, how about we go trick or treating now?"

"Yes!" Emma shrieked happily. "Let's go now?"

"A full sentence!" Gil cried in mock horror. "Amazing!"

Heather followed Gil out the door with Emma resting on her hip. "Yes, Emma, we're going now. Just ignore crazy Gil."

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The first few houses went without a hitch. Gil carried Emma up onto the porches and rang the doorbell, but left the rest up to her. Whenever someone answered the door, she would say, "Trick or treat!" After receiving a few pieces of candy, Emma would then say, "Thank you!" just as enthusiastically as she had earlier. All the while, Heather stood on the sidewalk, her gown blowing gently in the breeze, just watching the two interact. It was a sweet sight, and she just couldn't believe how good Gil was with Emma. He treated her as if she was his child, and to an outsider, they did look like father and daughter. It was frightening, but only slightly so.

At the next house, a man answered the door dressed as Frankenstein; two plastic silver bolts sticking out of either side of his neck, his face painted green. Gil understood how it could be scary to a very young child. Emma's terrified sobs forced Gil to apologize to the man, then walk down the sidewalk to where Heather was standing.

"Come here, Emma. It's alright." Emma held onto her Grandmother with all of her might, too scared to direct her attention anywhere else. Under her breath, Heather whispered to Gil, "I think it's time to go home."

Gil carried the bag that contained Emma's treats as they slowly strode back to Gil's vehicle. They had driven to another neighborhood for the trick or treating; there were not many houses by the dominion and both Gil and Heather had agreed that another area would be better.

They drove back to the dominion in silence. Heather sat in the back seat, next to Emma's car seat, to keep her entertained and so she wouldn't get scared.

"Emma, where are we?" Heather asked, filling her voice with confusion. Gil had seen her play this game before. She'd ask a question to see if, and how, Emma would answer it.

Gil watched the rearview mirror as Emma cocked her head to the side, both from exhaustion and trying to answer Heather's question. "At home?" She sleepily responded.

"You're so smart," Heather smiled at her granddaughter. "Are you ready for bed?"

Emma, the usually stubborn one, nodded. "Is it bedtime?" the toddle inquired with a yawn.

Gil opened his mouth to say something, something sarcastic and Heather saw it. "Not a word, Gil," She warned. Turning back to her granddaughter, she smiled again. "Yes, sweetie. It's bedtime."

As the vehicle stopped in front of the enormous house, Gil unbuckled his seatbelt with a grin. Heather carried Emma into the home while Gil took her bag in. He waited in the living room while Heather put the toddler to bed and changed out of her gown. It was a short wait, ten minutes at the most. Heather appeared in the doorway sporting black cotton pajama pants and a white t-shirt. She smiled at Gil, and he grinned back.

"Too bad Halloween isn't every night," The brunette sat in the chair next to Gil. "Emma would be asleep this early every night."

"That's right," Gil ran his hand over the back of his neck "She's a night owl like you, isn't she?"

Heather nodded, still smiling brightly. "Exactly. Zoe was too; she was always up all night." A small laugh escaped her lips. "Like mother, like daughter, I suppose."

Gil lifted the bag containing Emma's candy off of the floor. "Care for a piece?"

"I'd love one."

The two took turns going through the bag to see just what kinds of candy were given out. They were stunned to see everything from bubble gum to full size Hershey bars.

"Damn," Gil laughed, "Kids get all the good stuff."

Heather shook her head, clearly disagreeing. "No, they don't."

"Oh really? What do I get that little children dressed as fire-fighters, zombies, and butterflies don't?" Gil tried to figure out what she was talking about, but his thoughts were interrupted as Heather sat down on his lap.

"They don't get this." She grinned pithily before gently pressing her lips to Gil's.

Once they separated, Gil chuckled. "You're right, children don't get that." Heather joined in on his laughter, her eyes flashing amusement.

"You know, you're very good with Emma. That surprises me," Heather told him. She pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail, watching as a smile appeared on Gil's face.

"It surprises you? Why?"

Heather furrowed her brows as though her answer was painfully obvious. When Gil still didn't pick up on it, she grinned. "You're an Entomologist. How was I to know that you're good with children?"

"Ah, I see." Gil nodded. "I study bugs and therefore I know nothing about anything else."

Heather gasped and shook her head. "I didn't mean it like that and you know it!" When Gil began laughing, she playfully slapped his arm.

"Would you like to wash that paint off your face?" She inquired, standing up with a grin.

Gil deepened his voice, a devilish smile showing. "No, my dear. Why would I do such a thing?" Dipping Heather backward to expose more of her neck, he added, "I want to suck your blood!"

Heather laughed as Gil placed gentle kisses along her neck and jaw line. When he finally stopped giving her kisses, Heather giggled.

"Enjoying your Halloween treat, are you?" She asked with a grin.

Gil kissed her again, this time on her plump lips, and smiled as they parted. "Yes, I am."

The night slowly went on, progressing until some of Gil's face paint had transferred to Heather's. He smiled and wiped a bit of it off. "Green is your color, if I might say so," He chuckled. Heather silenced him with a kiss and they pulled apart to catch their breaths, Gil deepened his voice in his 'Vampire tone' again.

"You know," He grinned in a slightly evil fashion, "I do believe you've managed to make Halloween my favorite time of year."

"It was my favorite all along," Heather smiled. "But you've make me enjoy it a lot more."

With deliciously wicked grins on both of their faces, Heather and Gil's night continued. It would surely be one to remember; and one to try and top the next year.

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